How Candyman’s “Knockin’ Boots” Took Over Hip-Hop | From Battling Ice Cube, & Becoming Dre's Wingman to Hitmaking With Johnny J

Candyman—the “original boot knocker”—sits with Sean Stockman to unpack the real story behind **“Knockin’ Boots”*: the Dre cosign, the swap-meet hustle, turning a B-side into a platinum smash, and the sample-clearance chess with Betty Wright and Rose Royce that almost killed the record before it exploded. He also rewinds to Washington Prep— Sir Jinx introducing him to Dr. Dre , a campus battle vs. Ice Cube , and becoming Dre’s “wingman” in the LA club era. They trace the hit’s DNA— Slick Rick ’s story-rhyme influence, the SB-12/SP-1200 era, and why those first 5–10 seconds (“Attention all ladies…”) still light up shows. Candyman breaks down how Tone Lōc and touring cracked doors open, how Thump Records / Lowrider Soundtrack gave the song its second life, and how a nine-day sprint landed him at Epic Records . There’s inside baseball on splits, the Color Me Badd “I Wanna Sex You Up” overlap, and the baseline link he points out with Lighter Shade of Brown – “On a Sunday Afternoon” —plus shoutouts to DJ Quik and more LA heavyweights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices